Hawking, November 2004
Phil Ward
New Labour has quietly been
introducing a whole series of
acts, which they claim are
designed to make our neighbourhoods "more peaceful".
In this, they are relying on
popular support for measures
that residents in areas affected
by delinquency believe will
deal with problems such as
vandalism and street crime or
noisy neighbours.
The measures started soon
after Labour came to office,
with curfews for under-10s,
implemented at the discretion
of local councils. When these
were found to be ineffective,
the age limit was increased to under-15s.
What might have been construed as a child protection issue then clearly became one of control. Then, under Section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, 2003, the age was extended to under-16s and the power of implementation given to "police officers of or above the rank of superReg Keys' son Tom died in Iraq, in a war declared illegal by Kofi Annan. He is one of many bereaved parents who feel betrayed by our Prime Minister. Tony Blair was instrumental in leading us into a war on evidence that never existed, on threats of attack for which Iraq had no capability. The crime that New Labour won't crack down against "The war was based on two lies. The first was that we were endangered from weapons of mass destruction. The second was that Iraq was somehow to blame for 9/11.
Best lock them up to be on the safe side
intendent".
Up to September last year,
79 per cent of police forces
had set up at least one curfew
area and 34 of the 43 forces
had them in operation last
summer holidays. In
Sheffield, there is a curfew
area operating for six months
that covers nearly two wards
of the city - 30,000-40,000
In such areas, under 16s are
"It has been a tragedy for all of the families that have lost members. As many as one hundred thousand may have died, half of them women and children. If this is not a war crime, what is it?" taken home if they are found without an adult between 9pm and 6am. One ploy they have developed is to socialise just outside them and then go into the areas when they want to go home, with the hope of getting a lift from the police.
Section 30 also allows the police to disperse "crowds" of two or more people if they think they may "harass, alarm or distress" members of the
SAD THE O •OF
public.
This section applies to
unauthorised political gatherings, but in the present climate is more likely to be used to harass young, black people in particular.
These above measures come on top of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) and behaviour contracts, which restrict individuals -youth in particular - who are suspected of causing "harassment, alarm or distress". ASBOs apply for a minimum of two years.
Restrictions include individual curfews: the breach rate is 77 per cent.
The Home Office conveniently sums up the main civil rights objections to ASBOs:
"They are communitybased orders that involve local people in the collection of evidence and in helping to monitor breaches. The civil status of ASBOs means hearsay and professional witness evidence can be heard in ASBO applications."
As a breach of an ASBO or
failure to comply with a
Section 30 order is a criminal
offence, the Home Office is
openly saying that you can be
criminalised on the basis of
hearsay and police and public
prejudices.
To add spice, they openly
encourage vigilantism. This
is now happening in schools,
which are getting staff to
monitor pupils behaviour
contracts, the breach of which
will lead to ASBOs.
Labour's strategy towards
youth is entirely based on the
politics of fear, just as is their
"war on terrorism".
It's a classic divide and rule
tactic: turn communities in
on themselves rather than
have them focus on the social,
emotional and economic deprivation that blights so many
people's lives.
That this tactic is working
is a reflection of the rise of
individualism and consumerism that has pervaded
neo-liberal capitalism for 25
years.
In the past, the trades
unions and working class
organisations embodied
minimum of "collective consciousness" that helped to
counteract the isolating tendencies of capitalism and fostered sense of social
solidarity in local communities.
This solidarity needs to be
revived but this time to
include opposition to sexism, racism and homophobia. refuse to release the full legal advice.
Former defence minister Lord Gilbert blustered on a recent edition of the Today programme on Radio 4 that the public have no right to see the advice. "It must be taken on trust' he said.
A new campaign is to be
launched in London this week.
Asboconcern is "a campaigning alliance of organisations
and individuals concerned
about the use of anti-social
behaviour orders in our communities.
*Asbos are criminalising
and jailing young people even
where they have not committed any crime," says the campaign's flyer.
The campaign has broad
support already including from the National Association
of Probation Officers (NAPO), the British Association of Social Workers, the Childrens Rights Alliance, Action on Rights for Children, Fair Play for Children, Inquest, the Campaign against Criminalising Communities, the Green Party and Respect.
Socialists need to be raising support for this campaign in their trade unions and community organisations.
For further information contact [email protected] or write to Asboconcern c/o K Falcon, 4 Chivalry Rd, London SW11 1HT Rose Gentle, mother of fusilier Gordon Gentle, killed in Iraq June 2004, said: "Tony Blair should be impeached for the lies he has told, he must be brought to court. We know there were no weapons of